Venetian blind structure



Nov. 1s, 1941. h, K.| oRENTz|-:N 2,262,949

VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE Filed June 8, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 1 Z9 jj' llllllh. 241mm No?. 18, 1941. H. K.` LoRENTzEN 2,262,949

VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE INVENTOR fd/H? WH/#zen /ewa ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 18, .t

UNITED .-s'TAIT BLIND srauc'rnnn Hans K. Lorentzen, Montclair, N. J., assignor to Lorentzen Hardware Mfg. Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application B, 1940, Serial No. 339,467 12 claims. (crise-17) This invention relates to Venetian blinds and particularly to the structure forA suspending the ladder tapes `and adjusting the same to incline the slats of the blind. Y

A generalv object of the invention is to simplify and reduce the cost of the structure used to suspend and adjust the ladder tapes of a Ve` and adjusting the Aladder tapes of a Venetian blind.

A further object of the invention is to providey inexpensive and reliable mechanism for suspending and adjusting ladder tapes, which mechanism can be readily and rapidly assembled with a wooden or other head bar to suspend and adjust the ladder tapes of a Venetian blind.

A still further object of the invention is to provide reliable, inexpensive, and convenient means for quickly attaching and detaching the ladder tapes to and from the mechanism by which they are suspended and adjusted.

Various other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the Venetian blind showing diagrammatically Vhow the same may be attached to-a window frame. To improve the scale of the figure, an intermediate length of the blind is broken away.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1, certain parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the left end of the head bar, showing one of the ladder tapes attached to its supporting and adjustingmechanism.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the mounting brackets shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation (witha part broken away) showing a mechanical unit used in supporting and adjusting one of the ladder tapes.

Fig. 6 is a view taken on the line 9 8 of F18. 5.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the frame and pulley shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a dish-like member shown on the shaft shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a bridge member used in attaching the ladder tapes to the supporting and adjusting unit.

Fig. 10 is an isometric view of a head bar brace shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The blind includes a plurality of superimposed slats III which are supported and tilted by a pair of ladder tapes II and I2. 'I'he ladder tapes are in turn suspended from and adjusted by mechanism enclosed within a head bar Il that is mounted upon brackets I5 and Il. At the left end of the blindthere is the usual tilt cord I1 which is pulled to tilt the slats. At the rightend'of the blind there are the lift cords I8 and I8 used in raising and lowering the slats of the blind. v

The head bar isan open hollow member oi' U'- shaped cross-section, having a bottom I9, front wall 24, and back wall 25, all of which may be made of wood and appropriately united together. To strengthen the construction one or more braces 2l are used to connect the upper edges of the front and back walls. Each brace may be a stamped sheet metal piece such as shown in Fig. 10, having vertical portions 2Ia`, 2Ia which lie against the inner faces of Walls A24 and 26, and having depending barbed prongs such as 2lb which are driven down into the upper edge portions of such walls.

The two mounting brackets I5 and I6 are alike except that they are of opposite hand. These are of stamped sheet metal and have (see also Fig. 4) a rectangular body portion 25, top and bottom anges 26 Aand 2l, back flange 29, and

swinging retainer 29. 'I'he body 25 is provided with screw holes so that it can be screwed against the Jamb of a window frame, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to provide a so-called inside mounting for the blind. Back flange 29 is pro- 4 vided with screw holes so that, in the alternative, the bracket can be .fastened against the front face of a window frame to provide a'socalled o'utside mounting for the blind. With the swinging retainer 29 in the fully open position shown in Fig. 4, the end 0f the head bar Il can be pushed in place on the bracket so that the Ahead bar rests upon bottom ilange 21 and is confined back and top by anges 28 and 26. With the head bar in place on the bracket, the swinging retainer 29 is closed by swinging it downwardly. In Figs. 1 and 2 bracket I5 is shown with retainer 29 partly closed and bracket I6 is shown with the retainer 29 fully closed. The fully closed position of the swinging retainer 29 is also shown in dotted lines in Fig. .4.

The retainer 29 is L-shaped in cross section, I

having a ange 29a which contines the head bar against forward movement in the bracket, and having a flange 29h which lies against bracket body 25. In closed position of the retainer, the lower end of flange 29h lies behind springy keeper 32, with protuberance l29e of the retainer inte hole 32a of keeper l2. Thus the retainer 28 is snap fastened in closed pomtion.

The swinging connection of retainer 25 to the Y. tcp flange 25.

Within the head bar are two supporting and adjusting units 40 and 4| from which the ladder tapes are suspended and by which they are adjusted to change the inclination of the' slats l0. In actual practice, the units 45 and 4| are pref. erably identical, but in the drawings there is shown a slight variation between the -two units in order to illustrate' an alternative construction.

Each of the units 40 and 4| has a stamped sheet metal frameV which isbest seen in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. This frame, designated as awhole by 42, has bottom portion A44 which is seated against the bottom VI9 of the head bar. Holes such as 45 areV provided in the frame bottom 44 so that screws can be inserted to hold the frame 42in place. Near its center frame bottom 44 is e provided with a rectangular hole 45 in which a pulley 41 is located. The pulley is mounted on a pivot 48 passing through depending ears 49 and 50 that fare formed by metal pressed out in making hole 45. Integral with frame bottom 44 are upstanding frame ends l and 52 which are provided with holes 5|a and 52a for the passage oflift cords. In the case of unit there is a single lift cord which comes upwardly to pulley 41, makes'a right angle bend over the pulley, and passes Vonwardly through hole 52a. In the case of unit 4| there is a similarly disposed lift cord |8 (see Figs.5 and 6) plus the lift cord l5 coming from unit 40 through hole 5|a of unit 4| and out through hole 52a in unit 4|. From unit 4| the twolift cords i8 and I5' pass through cord lock 53 (Fig. 2) and then downwardly in front of the blind (Fig. 1). To keep the lift corda as low as possible in units and 4I while providing sumcient clearance for their passage, the bottom 44 of the frame 42 is provided with depressed groove portions 44a and 44b in alignment with holes 5|a and 52a. stamped from hole 52a is a curved guide 52h which serves to hold the cords down. Ears 49 and 50 which support pulley 41 are provided with extending portions, such as 49a shown in Fig. 5,'which serve as lateral guides for the vertically approaching branch of the cord.

Struck 'out from the tops of ends 5| and 52 are wings. 5Ic and 52e which leave notches in the upper edges of the ends 5I and 52; and beneath these notches there are formed semi-circular bearings 5|d and 52d for the reception of shaft'55. Y

For each of units 40 and 4| there is on shaft 554 an axially perforated wooden cylinder 55 at the ends of which are identical dish-like members 51. These dish-likeA members are stamped of sheet metal and'have a hole 51a shaped to correspond with the at topped shaft 55. In

assembly, a cylinder and its companion dishlike members 51, 51 are telescoped onto shaft 55 and then the shaft is laid into bearing portions 5|d and 52d. Ears 5|c and 52e are then t bent over the shaft, holding the same in assemareas-:9

the shaft, while Fig. 3 shows these ears after they have been bent over the shaft. vIn Fig. 2 the ears 5|c and 52c of 'unit 4| are shownbent over the shaft, while unit 4l Ain the same figure is shown with ear I5c before ithas'been bent over the shaft and with ear. 52c`after it has been bent over the shaft. Y

Formed from the metal s THe-ladder tape llhas branches and ||'V and the ladder tape I2 has branches |2 and I2'. All of these branches passV upwardly through openings in the bottomv I9 of the head bar. At the end of each suchV ladder tapebranchY itis formed into a loop by the branch being folded backwardly on itself and secured in folded posi-` tion, as at Ila and ||b of Fig. 3. lThese loopedY portions'may be secured in any suitable way as v by sewing, adhesive. etc. In Fig. 3 the looped portions are shown as as 50 and 5|. y

Dish-like members 51 Vare formedwith dovetail-like openings 51D, best seen in Figs.'6 and 8. Y In each of the supporting and adjusting units 4U and 4| the two dish-like members 51 are adapted to be bridged by a springy hairpin-shaped `bridge member 10, as best seen in Fig. 9. The head 10a ofthe bridge member is telescoped into the opening 51h in one dish-like member 51 and the free y ends of the member 10 are then pressed together and inserted laterally into the opening 51b of the other dish-like member s1. After insertionrthe free ends of hairpin-like member 10 spring apart, thus locking this bridge member in place,V as

shown in Fig.3. Bends 10b and 10c engage theA two branches of the ladder tape depend over the surface of cylinder and hang down through slots in the bottom I9 of the head bar. It will be apparent that this bridge member 10 provides a ready and convenient means for attaching the ladder tapes to the dish-like members 51, 51.

'Ihe common shaft 55 passes through the two supporting and adjusting units 40 and 4|, the

' movable parts of which are confined against axial movement on the shaft by the frames of the units 40 and 4|. The left-hand end of shaft 5|) passes through the hub of a conventional tilting device 14 actuated by cord I1. Thus when cord |1 is pulled the tilting device 14 acts to rotate shaft 55 and thereby rotate the dish-like members 51 of eachvof the supporting and adjusting units 40 and 4 To prevent longitudinal shifting of the shaft 55, it may be pierced by cotter pins located on either side of the tilter 14; and theV heads of these cotter pins are seen at 15 and 15 in Figs. 3 and 2.

When the shaft 55 is oscillated, the dish-like members 51 are likewise oscillated due to the shape of holes 51a which fltthe non-circular shaft. This movement, in conjunction with cylnder 55 which acts as a rocker, raises one branch of the ladder tape and lowers the other. This tilts the slats of the blind. Since the ends of the ladder tapes are positively moved by members 51, 51 and bridge 10, cylinder 55 may be loose on the shaft. However, members 51 are prosecured by stapling such.v

vided with holes 51e, 51o; and nails or screws may be inserted through these to attach the cylinder 56 to its end members 5l, 5l.

During the oscillating movement ofthe units 40 and 4| the ends of bridge 10 should'adequately clear frame ends and 52. 'Ihis may be assured by adequate dishing of the members 5I at 51d in conjunction with appropriate dimensioning of bridge 1B. This is shown in Fig. 5 and in unit 4| of Fig. 2. However, additional clearance may be provided by washers 80, 80 as shown in unit l0, Figs. 3 and 2. Otherwise the showing of units 4U and 4| are identical.

In compliance with the patent statutes, I have disclosed the best form in which I have contemplated applying my invention, but it will be realized that the disclosure is merely illustrative of the many specific forms in which the invention may be embodied.

What I claim is:

l. In a Venetian blind, means for supporting and adjusting the ladder tapes; said means comprising: a hollow head bar; a shaft journalled in the head bar; cylinders on the shaft over which the end portions of the ladder tapes pass; members rotatable by the shaft and located at the ends of the cylinders, said members extending radially beyond the surfaces of the cylinders;

ends to support and adjust the ladder tape, and an ear operatively integral with at least one of said ends and adapted to be bent into overlapping relation to said shaft to thereby hold it in said bearings. e

6. In a Venetian blind, means for supporting and adjusting a ladder tape.. comprising: a sheet metal frame having ends formed with notches at the top and open bearings beneaththe. notches, a shaft journalled in said bearings, rocking means on the shaft between said frame ends to support and adjust the ladder tape, and struck out ears adjacent to said notches and adapted to be bent into overlapping lrelation to said shaft to thereby hold it in said bearings.

7. In a Venetian blind structure, tape attaching means comprising: a springy hairpin shaped and means attaching the ladder tapes to said members.

2. In a Venetian blind, means for supporting and adjusting the ladder tapes; saidmeans combers at the opposite ends of each cylinder, said bridge means passing through said ladder tape loops and thereby attaching the ladder tapes to said members.

3. In a .Venetian blind, supporting and adjust- I ing means for the ladder tapes, comprising: a frame; a shaft extending through the frame: a

cylinder on the shaft; members rotatable by the shaft and located adjacent to the ends of 'the cylinder, the frame axially confining said cylinder and said members; and means to attach the ladder tapes to said members.

4. In a Venetian blind, supporting and adjusting means for the ladder tapes. comprising: a frame having spaced ends; a shaft journalled in said ends; a cylinder on the shaft: sheet metal dish-likemembers on the shaft at each end of the cylinder, both the cylinder and the dish-.like members being located between said frame ends and the dish-like members being rotatable by the shaft; and bridge means extending between the dish-like members and adapted to attach a ladder tape thereto. l

5. In a Venetian blind, means for supporting and adjusting a ladder tape, comprising: a sheet metal frame having ends formed with open bearings therein, a shaft journalled in said bearings,

rocking means on the shaft between said frame member, and means adapted to receive and retain the hairpin shaped member, said member having offsets which hold it against longitudinal movement with respect to said receiving means.

8. Ina Venetian blind, means vfor supporting and adjusting the ladder tapes; said means comprising: a hollow head bar; a shaft journalled in the Vhead bar; cylinders on the shaft over which the end portions of the ladder tapes pass; members rotatable by the shaft and located at' the ends of the cylinders; and means attaching the ladder tapes to said members.

9. LIn a Venetian blind, a sheet metal shaft support formed with an open bearing for a shaft, andan ear operatively integral with the support and adapted to be bent into overlapping relation to a shaft in the bearing to thereby hold the shaft in place.

10. In a Venetian blind, means for supporting and adjusting a pair of ladder tapes, comprising: a pair of rocking means to which the respective ladder tapes are attached, a pair of metal frames associated with the respective rocking means, and a common shaft to which both rocking means areattached; each frame having an end formedwith an open bearing in which the shaft is journalled, and each frame having an ear operatively integral with said end and adapted to be bentl into overlapping relation to said shaft to thereby hold it in said bearing,

11. In 'a Venetian blind; a ladder tape having loops formed on the upper ends of its two vertical branches; rocking means from which the ladder tape is suspended: and a hairpin shaped member attaching the ladder tape to the rockinto holding engagement with said rockingl means.

HANS K. LORENTZEN. 

